Located in the Community Center, all exhibits are free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm and Sunday from 9am to 7pm.
Green from the Start: A History of Gardening in Greenbelt, August 2010 to January 2012
Exhibition poster. Graphic design by Joe Parisi incorporating original art by Hubert Morley (WPA artist) and Dan Kennedy (Greenbelt artist). This poster now for sale in our gift shop!
This fun and colorful exhibition explores the many ways that Greenbelt has been “green” from the start. Greenbelt, Maryland’s history has always been intertwined with gardening. Although the town was built by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Resettlement Administration in the midst of the Great Depression, it incorporates many of the ideals of the “garden city” movement promoted in the United Kingdom at the turn of the century. Allotment plots to be used by resident families were included in the original design of the town which allowed these families to grow their own vegetables in dire economic times. During WWII these plots were used by many residents as victory gardens, as it was patriotic to grow one’s own food, allowing more commercially produced food to be sent to soldiers here and abroad. The 1950s witnessed a renewed interest in all things domestic including an emphasis on homemaking and both vegetable and flower gardening. An interest in natural foods and organic gardening blossomed in the 1960s and 1970s and continues to grow, as do movements focused on “slow food” and eating locally produced foods. Today, in Greenbelt, active community gardens, a thriving farmer’s market, and interest in healthy and sustainable foods at the town’s historic cooperative grocery store reveal that interest in gardening is only growing stronger.
Demonstration Victory Garden on grounds of Museum's historic house at 10B Crescent Road, Greenbelt MD 20770
The museum plans to hold lectures, seed/plant exchanges, canning demonstrations, and other events in conjunction with this exhibition in all areas of Greenbelt including Greenbelt East and Greenbelt West. Additionally, in spring 2010, the museum established a small demonstration Victory Garden on the grounds of the museum’s historic 1937 house which local school children will visit and hopefully help to maintain. This garden will also be a stop on a walking tour that departs from the Greenbelt Farmer’s Market on Sundays.
The Green from the Start exhibition is sponsored by Prince George’s County Council member for the 4th District Ingrid Turner, the Greenbelt Community Foundation, the Friends of the Greenbelt Museum and the City of Greenbelt. For more information, email the Museum Director at greenbeltmuseum@gmail.com or give us a call at 301-507-6582. Normal hours for the exhibition are Monday-Saturday from 9:00am to 10:00pm and on Sundays from 9:00am-7:00pm.
Past Exhibits
Sublime on a Dime: Fashions from the Great Depression to WWII
Accessories on display
This exhibition by the Greenbelt Museum explored fashion and its interpretation by women during the Great Depression and World War II. Visitors learned about home sewing, the influence of Hollywood, the importance of accessories and ensembles, WWII and rationing, leisurewear, and children’s clothes. Three-dimensional artifacts from the museum’s collection were on display, such as dresses, hats, purses, gloves, shoes, sewing implements, jewelry, and historic photographs that together illustrate how Greenbelt women adapted their existing clothing with an eye toward practicality as well as current fashion, creating a style all their own.
